A year in the planning, a project to install a remote weather station at Jacobs Well is now complete. The station is wholly owned and operated by the Hays County Master Gardeners, in cooperation with Hays County Parks.
Master Gardener Ron Titus coordinated the effort with Jessica Wollin, Education and Outreach Coordinator at Jacobs Well for Hays County Parks and Natural Resources, and her manager, Jay Taylor.
“HCMG owns a WiFi extender device,” said Titus. “This is a critical component of the HCMG weather monitoring system because it extends the Jacobs Well WiFi network to the HCMG greenhouse so that we can broadcast the weather station readings across the internet via Weather Underground.”
The purpose of having current weather information available to MGs, is to extend greenhouse functions into the months that are otherwise too hot or too cold for plant propagation.
The remote weather station sensor unit is mounted atop a 12-foot pole. It can be seen at the side entrance to the HCMG raised bed demo garden. Making the station a part of a global personal weather station network, the Weather Underground network, enables HCMG, Hays County Parks, and the general public to view current weather information and forecasts at Jacobs Well. A future 2025 technology addition to Jacobs Well will be the installation of a remotely controlled and operated HVAC system for the greenhouse. Thanks to the internet service now available, Master Gardeners will be able to remotely access and monitor heating and cooling inside the greenhouse, once the HVAC system is installed.
Remote weather stations, like the one at Jacobs Well, provide real- time data from multiple locations, improving the accuracy and range of weather forecasts. They also contribute to a deeper understanding of weather patterns, climate change and atmospheric conditions so that researchers can analyze data to study long-term climate trends and model future climate scenarios. They also help to track storms, predict severe weather events and provide timely warnings, which in turn, enables timely evacuation and resource deployment during floods, hurricanes and droughts. Remote weather stations can be found in other industries such as agriculture, for irrigation and crop management, in aviation and maritime operations, in energy production and construction, as well as other fields which are sensitive to weather conditions.
